EServer TC Library: Recent AdditionsRecently-indexed online resources in technical, professional and scientific communication (including web design and human-computer interaction).Going out on your own: its not all or nothing- June 30, 2008 For some, going freelance seems like an all-or-nothing proposition: you either have to jump in with both feet or not try at all. This blog post argues another way: gradually transition to full-time freelancing. DMN Communicationshttp://tc.eserver.org/31796.html Identity and Cross-Cultural Communication- June 27, 2008 In this project special attention is given to legal, commercial, political and institutional discourse used in specific workplaces, analysed from an intercultural perspective. In particular, through an exploration of the international image suggested by major social and economic actors, our project aims to improve the understanding of identity-forming features linked to local or professional cultures, as communicated by contemporary English in various specialised domains among native and...http://tc.eserver.org/31792.html Promoting Ethical Practices within Institutions of Higher Education- June 27, 2008 The public is continually bombarded with cases of wrongful practices in the work environment. As a result, the public has lost confidence in the ability of corporations and institutions of higher education to train individuals to behave in an ethical manner. Ethical practices in corporate America have resulted in institutions of higher education revisiting their ethical practices, which includes creating a learning environment where students develop the necessary skills to become ethical...http://tc.eserver.org/31793.html It's Not the Tool, It's the Writer- June 27, 2008 This blog post ponders whether or not technical communicators are sometimes too enamoured with the tools, and because of that lose sight of what's best for the reader.http://tc.eserver.org/31794.html Some Philosophical Underpinnings for Communication: Western and Eastern Foundations as seen in Commonplace Principles- June 27, 2008 This paper focuses on one area of Western and Eastern philosophical underpinnings for communication, namely, the use of Commonplaces. However, it needs to be pointed out that we mainly focus on the Western tradition, while making some preliminary references to the Chinese rhetorical tradition since Chinese culture has very rich sources of foundation of rhetoric and communication. However, to our knowledge, Commonplaces is a research topic that has been embarked on because of its rich...http://tc.eserver.org/31791.html Overcoming Barriers in Developing Conversation Skills: A Pedagogical Perspective- June 27, 2008 This paper examines the relevance of culture to language learning, the meaning and the structure of conversation, the obstacles in developing good conversation skills, the impact of these obstacles on students communication skills in the first part of the paper. The second part describes the class-room based project carried out during the spring semester 2007, and reports the findings. Inguva, Meena Lochanahttp://tc.eserver.org/31790.html Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines- June 26, 2008 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach that addresses and redresses the primary barrier to making expert learners of all students: inflexible, one-size-fits-all curricula that raise unintentional barriers to learning. Learners with disabilities are most vulnerable to such barriers, but many students without disabilities also find that curricula are poorly designed to meet their learning needs.http://tc.eserver.org/31789.html Comparing Powerpoint Experts' and University Students' Opinions about Powerpoint Presentations- June 26, 2008 Technical communication instructors want to help students, as well as professionals, design effective PowerPoint presentations. Toward this end, I compare the advice of academic and industry experts about effective PowerPoint presentation design to survey responses from university students about slide text, visual elements, animations, and other issues related to PowerPoint presentation design and delivery. Based on this comparison, I suggest some topics, such as PowerPoint's Slide Sorter view,.http://tc.eserver.org/31783.html Cruel Theory The Struggle for Prestige and Its Consequences in Academic Technical Communication- June 26, 2008 Some struggles for prestige in academic technical communication are self-defeating and wasteful because of the clash between the material (or positive-sum) economy of the workplace and the positional (or zero-sum) economy of the academy. Some professors of technical communication create disrespect for themselves and their specialities because they create degrading representations of working people and their artifacts, they promote impossible standards, and they advance discredited or misleading.http://tc.eserver.org/31786.html Breaking Professional Boundaries: What the MacCrate Report on Lawyering Skills and Values Means for TPC Programs- June 26, 2008 In 1992, the American Bar Association released the MacCrate Report, which listed the ten skills and four professional values that all attorneys need and critiqued law schools and state bars for not doing enough to teach and encourage the development of these skills and values. In response, law schools have significantly increased the skills-based components in their curricula, and most state bar exams now include a performance test. Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) programs...http://tc.eserver.org/31785.html |